Johnson Punches a Ticket to the NCAA Championships

SACRAMENTOOn the second day of the NCAA West First Round, Colorado sent its first athlete to Austin, Texas and the NCAA Championships on Friday.

India Johnson, who finished 11th in the 10,000 meters, finished the night in the top 12 at the NCAA Championships. He stayed in the top 12 for most of the race, running with a pack that pulled well in front of all challengers. Johnson crossed the finish line in 32:44.12 and finished ninth in the field of 48.

Bailey Hertenstein was the first Buff to reach Saturday’s quarterfinals on the same day. He secured his place in the 1500 meters with a time of 4:13.48 in the first round and finished seventh overall. Hertenstein had the fastest heat of the day, which helped him earn a spot in the next round. His time would have been the best time in all three other heats.

Abbey Glynn showed exceptional skill in the 400m hurdles. He entered the event with the 12th fastest time in the NCAA and was the top seed in the sixth and final heat. Glynn got off to a fast start in the first 200 meters and held off Iowa’s Mariel Bruxvoort to win the heat in 57.15 and finish seventh. He’ll run in Saturday’s quarterfinals, looking for a top-12 finish in Texas.

Avery McMullen was the busiest Buff of the day. He pulled off a double in the 100m hurdles and long jump. Both events started at 7pm with MT McMullen opening with the hurdles. He placed sixth in his fly in 13.62 before moving on to the long jump, where he cleared 5.86 meters (19-2.75) on his third attempt.

Amanda up kicked off the day in the women’s hammer throw. He threw 58.84 meters (193-0) on his first attempt and was seventh early. His first throw proved to be his best, but he was eliminated after the second round.

Jada Green hovered around the javelin qualifying site. He used a throw of 49.95m (163-10) on his third attempt to move into third place after his second flight. His rank did not last in the third flight as he was eliminated from the qualifying position.

The men return to action on Friday. Caleb Niednagel get things going in the steeplechase quarterfinals at 6:40 PM MT.